Princess Anne Spotted!

Princess Anne Spotting!

Can you find HRH in the photo above?

There we were, just lounging on the RYA benches in the lecture space at the London Boat Show, soaking up all the wisdom on diesel engine maintenance when… the lecturer’s eyes bugged out, his voice went hoarse, his words trailed off dry as dust…

Why? 

Because Princess Anne, that well-known sailing aficianado, was strolling past our booth, hotly pursued and surrounded by her security scrum.

Instantly I required the Can Opener to stand guard over my lounging spot so that none of the wily diesel hangers-on would nab my place (and to take over photography duties).

Then I sprang into action (cue Mission Impossible music) and began scaling the canopy over the RYA lecture area. With absolute precision I lined up my quarry, then sprang-pounced from the canopy corner, and swan-dived directly into Princess Anne’s paper Primark shopping bags… 

(CO: You did not! Largely because I knew exactly what might whiz through your demented brain and instantly pinned you in a half-Neilson between my knees…

CC: O yeah? Explain the ‘Mission Impossible’ music then!

CO: …That, I cannot explain…)  

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cowes Week – More Views Of

J122 heading to the start

View from the stern

Festival!

The Royal Auxillary’s Black Knight precision parachuters arrive

Cowes at night…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cowes Week – Mid-week Report

It sure is the biggest sailing summer ever round here. The Olympics just finished – and now Cowes Week has started up.

For those who don’t know, Cowes Week is the UK’s biggest annual regatta (save the Olympics of course) and one of the country’s yearly social highlights. 

It ‘is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. Having started in 1826, the event is held on the Solent…made tricky by strong double tides’ *.

It’s not just a rocking’ regatta – it’s also a great festival, complete with endless parties, street concerts, vendors, prizes and stalls. 

Fun if you are watching the action from land or from the deck of a high performance racing machine.

  

The Can Opener and I were lucky enough to be invited to race on a J122. And lucky enough to be on a great team that’s on a winning streak. Nothing like crossing the line first and getting the gun! 

All credit to the J122’s great skipper – the same nice guy from the Red Tabby Yacht Club who invited us to join him.

View from the J122’s bow

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* wikipedia

 

Olympic Site

Weymouth

We arrived at the Games site early on Monday and so had a little time to walk through the charming town of Weymouth before we staked our spot on the hillside to watch some amazing sailing. It was all dressed up in flags and finery for its Olympic visitors.

So, what’s the magical town of Weymouth like?

‘Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast…  Fishing and trading employ fewer people in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, but tourism has continuously increased its presence in the town since the 18th century and is now the primary industry.

‘…nearby Portland Harbour is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games‘ are being held ‘and is ideal for sailing as it is exposed to reliable winds from most directions, but is sheltered from large waves and currents by Chesil Beach and the breakwaters.‘*

They couldn’t have picked a better spot for the racing. We loved it!

Cute town too.

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Wikipedia

Olympic Report

 

The Olympics – Weymouth, England 2012
 
Yesterday I took the Can Opener down to see the Olympics, pinnacle of dinghy racing glory and excellence. 

The First Mate was beyond excited and even I admit to a tiny frisson of sailing electricity running down my tail at the thought of witnessing true greatness at such close quarters.

The First Mate came the first time I whistled, he loaded up the oyster tin trolley (sustenance for the long day ahead) and dutifully hoisted me onto his shoulder as usual so I could steer him by the ears.   

The Trek 
We made the mighty train trek down to the southern shore in record time. Some spritely folk in our carriage had decked themselves out in Union Jacks and a few other assorted flags. We were not alone in our buoyant high spirits. 

The Venue
The viewing area at Weymouth slopes gently down to the water which rings a perfect arc as an undulating stage before the crowd. Felt like you could almost touch the windward mark from where we sat. Brilliant. 

Market Appeal
They say sailing is not a spectator sport and that may be true. But they have done really everything imaginable to make it more accessible and as riveting as possible. 

Every dinghy was rigged with its own camera focused on the action in the cockpit. Two helicopters filmed from above and roving camera arms filmed from our hill. All of this was relayed back to giant screens around the crowd to make the action even more immediate.  

Intensity
Regattas are now designed to lead in to a ‘medal round’ with a clear visually-appealing last race. No more ‘best 6 out of 7 races’ where the winner is triumphantly (though anti-climatically) announced after some math calcs in a back room.  

Visual Appeal
Even the racing courses have been redesigned so that the final stretch to the finish is a mini-reach, emphasizing boats’ finishing positions like horses at the racetrack.

And you gotta love the ‘flags for spinnaker’ designs for the boats this year (as in the lead picture above). Absolutely gorgeous! 

Results
We were lucky enough to see three medal round races yesterday. China won the women’s laser radial, and Australia won the men’s laser and 49er classes after some very intense competition.

Was it a great Olympic day? Absolutely! Whoo-hoo! You bet!


Have you been watching the Sailing Olympics? Favourite class? Best race? Best moment? What did you think?

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Trapani By Day

The next morning while the Sirocco winds howled, we found the preceding evening’s religious procession still in full swing. Vendors sold pinwheels, tootle horns and Spiderman dolls to help celebrate the event.

 

About midday, the ancient religious floats reached their final destination in a church. They’ll be displayed here for the rest of the day before being returned to storage until next year.

 

And also by about midday, we had admired most of the architecture in Trapani, some buildings of which were from the 15th century…

It was a full schedule: …walking, exploring, and in late afternoon, the mechanic will arrive to look at the port engine and nurse it back to bouncing health. 

Between that and this evening’s gala dinner, I’ll feast on second lunch and squeeze in a catnap or two…

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)